Traditional or online

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Hello everyone im hoping I can get some sound advice. Im torn between excelsior college and trying to find a traditional nursing school to attend. Right now im a lpn with a few courses under my belt. I'm in my 40s with 2children 15 and 12. Right now im working in home care and have been for years. If I continue at excelsior will have a problem leaving homecare? I don't need or want to be in a hospital setting but I would like to try other avenues of nursing. Is that doable with only home care experience and a online degree versus hands on from having clinicals every week at a traditional school. Please advise ...Thank you for your time

Specializes in Operating room..

I never said anything against LPN's or ADN's...I have been both. I just think an LPN to RN program needs more hands on experience. This is why California, Virginia, Georgia and Maryland don't accept Excelsior grads. And more than a dozen states won't let Excelsior grads sit for their nursing licensure in their state.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
California, Virginia, Georgia and Maryland don't even accept Excelsior grads...what does that tell you about the school?

California also allows CNAs who have not completed a practical/vocational nursing program to challenge the board to become LVNs through a not-so-obscure sequence called 'Method 3.' In essence, an experienced CNA can become an LVN in California if they pass a pharmacology course and the NCLEX-PN. No nursing education necessary.

Virginia is another state in the union that allowed experienced CNAs and military medics to challenge the board to become LPNs.

What does that tell you about California and Virginia?

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Specializes in Operating room..

Sorry...my judgements on CA are made from so many other things NOT LVN licensing related. You got bad things to say about all the other states too?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.
I did say weekend right? Are we arguing length of weekend now? And I stand by my assertion that most new grads get little to no on the job orientation, add to that the fact that hospitals (more than likely LTC's as an LPN) are woefully understaffed and you are compromising patient safety just for convenience sake. Who is going to teach you? The new LPN grad hired with you last week? You shouldn't be afraid to admit you don't know everything.

You said weekend clinical; I experienced the weekend exam...no teaching involved, only evaluation of one's performance. Anyway, my testimony to the Excelsior experience has disproven your stance on an online ASN degree. You've never done that; I have. Your statement to TheCommuter was that s/he provided statements based upon what others have said. I gave testimony to an actual experience with it and so did Pixie.RN and you still debate. So, you can continue your speculations into a program you haven't experience, as you care not for any other viewpoint than your own. I'm not bashing community classrooms as a poor choice because some people need the see the instructor and hear the lectures, whereas some of us are able to reach the same goal by eliminating the middleman. The OP asked, we answered, and speaking for myself, I am proof that what was asked can be accomplished. I'm done here.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Sorry...my judgements on CA are made from so many other things NOT LVN licensing related. You got bad things to say about all the other states too?

As previously mentioned, Virginia is yet another state that has allowed experienced CNAs and military medics to challenge the board to become LPNs. And the Georgia BON does most certainly grant Excelsior grads licensure. In fact, one of the participants of this thread (BSNbeDONE) is 2010 Excelsior grad living and working in Georgia.

And another thread participant (PixieRN) is living and working in Georgia.

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Specializes in Operating room..

Who is still debating? ::

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Who is still debating?

Although we will always have a difference of opinions, I love debates because they boost the readership. People like interesting discussions and debate, not dry research findings.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
Yeah, yeah, you worked so hard in your online LPN-RN program...no clinical time at all...good for you. Everyone thinks they worked hard. Everyone says they worked hard. What else are you going to say? Yeah, it was easy?

I was never an LPN. Never said I was.

By the way, I am licensed in both Virginia and Georgia. Your information about EC acceptance is inaccurate.

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I did say weekend right? Are we arguing length of weekend now? And I stand by my assertion that most new grads get little to no on the job orientation, add to that the fact that hospitals (more than likely LTC's as an LPN) are woefully understaffed and you are compromising patient safety just for convenience sake. Who is going to teach you? The new LPN grad hired with you last week? You shouldn't be afraid to admit you don't know everything.

California, Virginia, Georgia and Maryland don't even accept Excelsior grads...what does that tell you about the school?

I graduated from an online ADN program in 2011. I passed my boards in 40 minutes and 75 questions. I think it took longer to do the survey at the end of the test than the actual test. I was not an LPN/LVN before I began the program. I'm an ICU nurse and after only 7 months of being a nurse I was not only charge nurse but a national Daisy award recipient. Your success depends on YOU not the program you choose. If I had a choice I would have gone to a traditional program but that did not fit my home, kids, family, work life so I went the online route. It wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination but I did it and anyone else that has their heart in nursing, the right motivation can be equally successful.

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.
Laughable....Good luck getting a hospital job as an LPN TODAY with all the BSN only rules now. No opportunity for experience anymore. ADN's are finding it difficult to find jobs. LPN's can only work as CNAs in my area at this point. Don't even think about starting IV's...I'm sure back in "your" day they did that sort of thing. Now, your lucky to wipe butts working as a CNA, work in LTC, or a Dr's office...and MA's are taking those jobs from LPN's now. LPNs can't find anything in my area...except as a CNA. How's that for "hands on" experience?

Depends where you live. Some organizations still hire LPN's and ADN are hired in my area. You cannot generalize. I was not pressured to obtain my BSN, but did so for personal reasons.

The OP knows her own skill set and knows what she is capable of. She simply needs to do research.

As for EC being easy. I told my husband it would have been easier to take brick and mortar ADN classes that to do the cpne ever again. At least there is room for error in clinical. There isn't much wiggle room in the cpne.

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.
They already said "clinical" is one weekend only.

You are correct with no room for error and it's timed. It's not the typical clinical. You have one weekend to prove yourself. It's very stressful having a nursing instructor with a clipboard hovering. You can't even fail your care plans.

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Employers are more likely to want you to speak to your experience in nursing rather than to how you obtained your degree.

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